Election 2008 Topics and Trends

Are you certain now that you will vote for [Barack Obama/John McCain] for president, or do you think you may change your mind between now and the November election?

	Vote for Obama, certain	Vote for Obama, may change mind	Vote for McCain, may change mind	Vote for McCain, certain	No opinion	NET: "swing voters"
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2	%	%	%	%	%	%

Likely voters I	51	2	3	39	5	10

Registered voters	50	3	3	37	7	13

For comparison: USA Today/Gallup poll trends
	Vote for Obama, certain	Vote for Obama, may change mind	Vote for McCain, may change mind	Vote for McCain, certain	No opinion	NET: "swing voters"
	%	%	%	%	%	%
*Likely voters*
2008 Sep 5-7	39	5	7	47	2	14
2008 Aug 21-23	38	10	8	37	7	25
2008 Jun 15-19	42	8	9	35	6	23

*Registered voters*
2008 Sep 5-7	38	8	9	41	5	22
2008 Aug 30-31 ^	42	8	6	37	7	21
2008 Aug 21-23	36	11	9	34	10	30
2008 Jun 15-19	38	10	11	31	10	31

*National adults*
2008 Sep 5-7	38	8	9	39	6	23
2008 Aug 21-23	37	12	9	32	10	31
2008 Jun 15-19	39	10	11	30	10	31

^ USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup daily tracking survey NOTE: "Swing voters" include those who are uncertain about their vote choice or have no opinion as to whom they would vote for.

If the elections for Congress were being held today, which party's candidate would you vote for in your congressional district -- [ROTATE: the Democratic Party's candidate or the Republican Party's candidate]?

As of today, do you lean more toward -- [ROTATE: the Democratic Party's candidate or the Republican Party's candidate]?

	Democratic candidate	Republican candidate	Undecided/ Other
	%	%	%
*Likely voters I*
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2	53	41	6
2008 Oct 10-12	51	45	5
2008 Sep 5-7	45	50	6
2008 Aug 21-23	51	42	7
2008 Jun 15-19	52	42	7
2008 Feb 8-10	55	41	3

*Likely voters II*
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2	54	41	6
2008 Oct 10-12	51	45	5
2008 Sep 5-7	47	48	6
2008 Aug 21-23	51	42	7

Notes: Likely voters I is the likely voter estimate using the traditional Gallup likely voter model, with likely voters determined on the basis of a series of questions measuring current voting intention and past voting behavior.
Likely voters II is an alternative likely voter estimate using a series of questions measuring current voting intention only.

*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2	54	39	7
2008 Oct 10-12	51	44	6
2008 Sep 5-7	48	45	8
2008 Aug 21-23	51	40	10
2008 Jun 15-19	51	40	9
2008 Feb 8-10	55	40	4
2007 Dec 14-16	53	40	7

*National adults*
2008 Oct 10-12	51	43	7
2008 Sep 5-7	48	44	8
2008 Aug 21-23	53	38	10
2008 Jun 15-19	52	40	9
2008 Feb 8-10	56	40	4
2007 Dec 14-16	53	39	9

Compared to previous elections, are you more enthusiastic than usual about voting, or less enthusiastic?

	More enthusiastic	Less enthusiastic	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2 †	68	19	12	1
2008 Oct 23-26	69	19	11	1
2008 Oct 10-12	62	27	11	1
2008 Sep 5-7	64	21	14	1
2008 Aug 30-31 †	54	28	17	2
2008 Aug 21-23	48	37	14	1
2008 Jun 15-19	48	37	14	1
2008 Feb 8-10	63	29	8	*
2008 Jan 10-13 ^	62	28	10	1
2004 Oct 14-16 ^	67	21	12	*
2004 Sep 3-5 ^	65	23	11	1
2004 Aug 23-25 ^	60	29	11	--
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1 ^	69	22	9	--
2004 Jul 19-21 ^	60	25	14	1
2004 Mar 26-28	52	29	18	1
2004 Jan 29-Feb 1	56	32	12	*
2000 Oct 13-15	38	39	20	3
2000 Mar 10-12	39	38	22	1
2000 Jan 7-10	45	37	17	1
1996 Oct 23-24	17	36	45	2

*National adults*
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2 †	65	21	11	2
2008 Oct 23-26	67	21	11	1
2008 Oct 10-12	60	28	10	1
2008 Sep 5-7	62	23	14	1
2008 Aug 30-31 †	51	30	16	4
2008 Aug 21-23	48	38	13	1
2008 Jun 15-19	48	37	14	1
2008 Feb 8-10	62	30	7	1
2008 Jan 10-13 ^	60	29	10	1
2004 Oct 14-16 ^	65	23	11	1
2004 Sep 3-5 ^	64	24	11	1
2004 Aug 23-25 ^	57	32	10	1
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1 ^	67	25	8	*
2004 Jul 19-21 ^	59	27	13	1
2004 Mar 26-28	51	32	16	1
2004 Jan 29-Feb 1	55	34	10	1
2000 Mar 10-12	37	40	21	2
2000 Jan 7-10	43	38	17	2

*Democrats/Democratic leaners*
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2 †	73	15	10	2
2008 Oct 23-26	76	15	8	1
2008 Oct 10-12	71	18	10	1
2008 Sep 5-7	67	19	13	1
2008 Aug 30-31 †	61	24	12	3
2008 Aug 21-23	57	28	14	1
2008 Jun 15-19	61	25	13	1
2008 Feb 8-10	79	15	6	*
2008 Jan 10-13 ^	74	19	6	1
2004 Oct 14-16 ^	67	23	10	--
2004 Sep 3-5 ^	62	29	7	2
2004 Aug 23-25 ^	60	30	10	*
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1 ^	73	21	6	--
2004 Jul 19-21 ^	68	20	12	--
2004 Mar 26-28	51	35	13	1
2004 Jan 29-Feb 1	59	34	6	1
2000 Mar 10-12	33	47	19	1
2000 Jan 7-10	39	42	17	2

*Republicans/Republican leaners*
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2 †	59	27	12	2
2008 Oct 23-26	65	20	13	1
2008 Oct 10-12	51	38	10	1
2008 Sep 5-7	60	24	15	1
2008 Aug 30-31 †	42	36	20	2
2008 Aug 21-23	39	47	13	1
2008 Jun 15-19	35	51	13	1
2008 Feb 8-10	44	48	8	*
2008 Jan 10-13 ^	49	37	12	2
2004 Oct 14-16 ^	68	19	12	1
2004 Sep 3-5 ^	69	18	13	*
2004 Aug 23-25 ^	60	30	9	1
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1 ^	62	27	11	*
2004 Jul 19-21 ^	51	32	15	2
2004 Mar 26-28	52	27	20	1
2004 Jan 29-Feb 1	53	31	15	1
2000 Mar 10-12	45	32	22	1
2000 Jan 7-10	51	32	16	1

* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response
Note: trend for presidential elections
^ Asked of half sample
† USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup daily tracking survey

(Asked of a half sample) How would you rate Barack Obama's choice of Joe Biden for vice president? Would you rate this choice as -- excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?

	Excellent	Pretty good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2 ^	21	39	23	15	2
2008 Sep 5-7	25	38	24	9	4
2008 Aug 23 ^	16	31	21	12	20
^ USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup daily tracking survey

(Asked of a half sample) How would you rate John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin for vice president? Would you rate this choice as -- excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?

	Excellent	Pretty good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 31-Nov 2 ^	16	19	18	45	2
2008 Sep 5-7	36	24	14	24	2
2008 Aug 29 ‡	19	27	19	18	17
‡ Based on one-night Palin vice presidential selection poll of registered voters (USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup daily tracking survey)
^ USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup daily tracking survey

Does the outcome of this year's presidential election matter to you more than in previous years, less than in previous years, or about the same?

	Matters more	Matters less	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	74	1	25	*
2007 Nov 2-4^	58	2	40	--
2004 Oct 14-16	72	2	26	--
2000 Oct 13-15	47	5	48	*
1996 Oct 23-24	41	8	50	1
1996 Oct 22-23	44	6	49	1
1996 Oct 21-22	41	5	53	1
1996 Oct 20-21	39	5	55	1

*National adults*
2007 Nov 2-4	56	2	41	*
2004 Oct 14-16	71	2	27	--
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ WORDING: Does the outcome of next year's presidential election matter to you more than in previous years, less than in previous years, or about the same?

Please tell me whether you think each of the following political office-holders deserves to be re-elected, or not. How about -- [ROTATED]?

A. The U.S. representative in your congressional district

	Yes, deserves	No, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	59	25	16
2008 Jul 25-27	57	29	14
2008 Jun 15-19	62	26	12

*Likely voters*
2008 Jul 25-27	58	30	12
2008 Jun 15-19	62	27	11

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	58	25	18
2008 Jul 25-27	55	28	17
2008 Jun 15-19	63	24	14

Note: Full 1992-2008 trend not shown

B. Most members of Congress

	Yes, deserves	No, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	36	51	13
2008 Jul 25-27	36	52	12
2008 Jun 15-19	39	50	11

*Likely voters*
2008 Jul 25-27	34	54	12
2008 Jun 15-19	38	52	10

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	36	50	14
2008 Jul 25-27	36	50	14
2008 Jun 15-19	41	47	11

Note: Full 1992-2008 trend not shown

Please tell me whether you agree or disagree that -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- has the personality and leadership qualities a president should have.

A. Barack Obama

	Agree, has qualities	Disagree/ Does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	61	37	2

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	61	36	3
2007 Nov 2-4	56	35	9

B. John McCain

	Agree, has qualities	Disagree/ Does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	60	38	2

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	60	38	2

For comparison: 2000-2004 elections

		Agree, has qualities	Disagree/ Does not	No opinion
		%	%	%
(RV) 2004 Oct 22-24	George W. Bush	57	41	2
	John Kerry	52	44	4

(RV) 2000 Oct 20-22	George W. Bush	57	39	4
	Al Gore	59	37	4

Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- on the issues that matter most to you.

A. John McCain

	Agree	Disagree	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	48	50	3

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	47	50	3

B. Barack Obama

	Agree	Disagree	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	51	46	2

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	52	45	3
2007 Nov 2-4	48	38	13

For comparison: 2004 election

		Agree	Disagree	No opinion
		%	%	%
(RV) 2004 Oct 22-24	George W. Bush	50	48	2
	John Kerry	49	49	2

Now I am going to read a list of some of the issues that will probably be discussed in this year's presidential election campaign. As I read each one, please tell me how important the candidates' positions on that issue will be in influencing your vote for president -- extremely important, very important, somewhat important, or not important. How about -- [random order A-N]?

A. The economy

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	55	40	4	*	*
2008 Jun 15-19	49	42	8	1	*
2008 Feb 8-10	41	48	9	2	*
* Less than 0.5%

B. Terrorism

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	42	38	17	3	1
2008 Jun 15-19	41	35	20	4	*
2008 Feb 8-10	40	37	19	4	*

C. The situation in Iraq

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	41	40	15	3	*
2008 Jun 15-19	44	41	12	2	1
2008 Feb 8-10	43	44	11	2	*

D. Healthcare

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	41	37	19	3	*
2008 Jun 15-19	41	39	17	3	--
2008 Feb 8-10	37	42	17	3	*

E. Energy, including gas prices

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	41	44	14	1	*
2008 Jun 15-19	51	39	8	2	*
2008 Feb 8-10	36	43	18	3	*

F. Illegal immigration

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	25	32	33	9	*
2008 Jun 15-19	27	32	31	10	*
2008 Feb 8-10	26	34	30	9	1
* Less than 0.5%

G. Taxes

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	40	41	17	2	*
2008 Jun 15-19	34	38	24	4	*
2008 Feb 8-10	27	42	27	4	*

H. Moral values

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	39	34	20	5	1
2008 Jun 15-19	34	35	21	9	1
2008 Feb 8-10	33	36	21	9	*

I. Education

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	39	41	18	2	*
2008 Feb 8-10	35	46	16	3	*

J. The environment

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	26	36	31	6	1
2008 Feb 8-10	27	35	27	11	--

K. The federal budget deficit

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	44	38	16	2	*
2008 Feb 8-10	30	43	22	4	1
* Less than 0.5%

L. The situation in Afghanistan

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	37	40	19	3	1

M. Medicare

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 8-10	29	40	26	4	*
* Less than 0.5%

N. Social Security

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 8-10	30	43	22	4	*

O. Corruption in government

	Extremely important	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 8-10	40	39	17	4	*

(Asked of a half sample) Regardless of which presidential candidate you support, please tell me if you think Barack Obama or John McCain would better handle each of the following issues. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. The economy

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	52	42	2	4
2008 Oct 10-12	53	39	3	6
2008 Sep 5-7	48	45	2	5
2008 Aug 30-31 †	55	36	2	8
2008 Aug 21-23	54	38	2	6
2008 Feb 8-10 ^	47	43	1	9
(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ Asked of a half sample

B. Terrorism

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	37	59	2	3
2008 Oct 10-12	39	55	1	5
2008 Sep 5-7	38	55	2	5
2008 Aug 30-31 †	41	50	2	7
2008 Aug 21-23	35	57	3	5
2008 Feb 8-10 ^	34	60	1	6
^ Asked of a half sample

C. The situation in Iraq

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	41	54	1	3
2008 Oct 10-12	46	50	*	4
2008 Sep 5-7	42	52	2	4
2008 Aug 30-31 †	47	46	1	6
2008 Aug 21-23	42	51	2	5
2008 Feb 8-10 ^	40	54	*	5
* Less than 0.5%
^ Asked of a half sample

D. Healthcare policy

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	56	38	2	5
2008 Oct 10-12	61	32	1	6
2008 Sep 5-7	52	40	1	7
2008 Aug 21-23	57	32	3	8
2008 Feb 8-10 ^	56	33	1	10
(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ Asked of a half sample

E. Energy, including gas prices

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	52	43	2	3
2008 Oct 10-12	52	40	2	6
2008 Sep 5-7	46	46	3	5
2008 Aug 21-23	52	38	4	6
(vol.) = Volunteered response

F. Taxes

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	50	44	1	4
2008 Oct 10-12	52	40	2	6
2008 Sep 5-7	43	49	2	6
2008 Aug 21-23	48	43	2	7
(vol.) = Volunteered response

G. The situation in Afghanistan

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	40	54	1	4

H. Gun policy

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	38	50	1	10
2008 Sep 5-7	37	51	2	10
(vol.) = Volunteered response

I. Abortion

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	47	42	1	10
(vol.) = Volunteered response

J. Illegal immigration

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	38	47	4	11
2008 Feb 8-10	37	50	3	10

K. Education

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	53	36	3	8

L. Foreign policy

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	38	51	2	9

M. U.S. policy toward Russia

	Obama	McCain	Same (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	36	51	2	11
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Do you think [RANDOM ORDER] would rely too much on the federal government to solve the country's problems, not enough, or about the right amount?

A. Barack Obama

	Would rely too much	Right amount	Not enough	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	34	47	14	5

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	34	47	14	5

B. John McCain

	Would rely too much	Right amount	Not enough	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	16	53	25	7

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	16	52	26	7

For comparison: 2000 election

	Would rely too much	Right amount	Not enough	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
(RV) 2000 Sep 11-13 -- Gore	31	47	12	10
(RV) 2000 Sep 11-13 -- Bush	19	45	24	12
(RV) = Registered voters

Do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- can -- or cannot -- handle the responsibilities of commander-in-chief of the military?

A. Barack Obama

	Yes, can	No, cannot	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26^	58	40	2
2008 Sep 5-7	55	42	3
2008 Aug 21-23	53	44	3
2008 Jul 25-27	52	41	7
2008 Jun 15-19	55	40	5

B. John McCain

	Yes, can	No, cannot	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26^^	80	18	3
2008 Sep 5-7	84	15	1
2008 Aug 21-23	80	18	2
2008 Jul 25-27	76	19	5
2008 Jun 15-19	80	17	3
^ Asked of a half sample

For comparison (2004 election):

George W. Bush

	Yes, can	No, cannot	No opinion
	%	%	%
2004 Oct 14-16	65	34	1
2004 Oct 1-3	66	33	1
2004 Sep 24-26	67	31	2
2004 Sep 3-5	68	32	*
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1	61	38	1
2004 Jun 21-23	61	35	4

John Kerry

	Yes, can	No, cannot	No opinion
	%	%	%
2004 Oct 14-16	57	40	3
2004 Oct 1-3	53	43	4
2004 Sep 24-26	49	46	5
2004 Sep 3-5	55	40	5
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1	63	33	4
2004 Jun 21-23	61	30	9

(Asked of a half sample) In your view, does [RANDOM ORDER] have the knowledge and experience necessary to be a good president, or not?

A. John McCain

	Yes, has	No, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	78	20	2

B. Barack Obama

	Yes, has	No, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	50	48	2

For comparison: 2000 election

	Yes, has	No, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
1999 Dec 9-12 (Al Gore)	57	41	2
1999 Dec 9-12 (George W. Bush)	64	30	6

If Barack Obama is elected president, do you think your federal income taxes would increase, decrease, or remain the same?

	Increase	Decrease	Remain the same	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	49	19	29	3
2008 Sep 5-7 ^	54	13	27	6
2008 Aug 21-23	53	12	32	3
^ Asked of a half sample

If John McCain is elected president, do you think your federal income taxes would be increased, decreased or remain the same?

	Increase	Decrease	Remain the same	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	36	8	52	4
2008 Sep 5-7 ^	32	13	50	5
2008 Aug 21-23	34	9	54	3

Trends for comparison:

If John Kerry is elected president/George W. Bush is re-elected president, do you think your federal income taxes would be increased, decreased, or remain the same?

	Increased	Decreased	Remain the same	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2004 Oct 9-10 (Kerry)	48	13	34	5
2004 Oct 9-10 (Bush)	25	13	57	5

If Al Gore/George W. Bush is elected President, do you think the federal income taxes you personally pay will be cut, raised, or stay about the same?

	Raised	Cut	Stay about the same	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2000 Sep 15-17 (Gore) ^	26	6	61	7
2000 Sep 15-17 (Bush) ^	27	17	49	7

^ Based on registered voters

How would you describe the political views of Barack Obama -- [ROTATED: very liberal, liberal, moderate, conservative (or) very conservative]?

	Very liberal	Liberal	Mod- erate	Conser- vative	Very conser- vative	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	29	32	24	8	3	4

How would you describe the political views of John McCain -- [ROTATED: very liberal, liberal, moderate, conservative (or) very conservative]?

	Very liberal	Liberal	Mod- erate	Conser- vative	Very conser- vative	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	2	8	26	45	16	3

Next I'm going to read some statements about the election. As I read each one, please say whether you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree with each one. How about -- [ITEMS ROTATED]?

A. The stakes in this presidential election are higher than in previous years

	Strongly agree	Somewhat agree	Somewhat disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	76	16	5	2	1
2004 Oct 22-24	70	20	7	2	1
1996 Oct 22-23	37	30	20	9	4

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	75	16	5	3	1
2004 Oct 22-24	69	20	8	2	1

B. I am afraid of what will happen if my candidate for president does not win

	Strongly agree	Somewhat agree		Somewhat disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion
	%		%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	54		22	15	7	2
2004 Oct 22-24	54		22	16	7	1
1996 Oct 22-23	35		24	22	15	4

*National adults*
2008 Oct 23-26	53		22	15	8	2
2004 Oct 22-24	53		22	16	7	2

(Asked of a half sample) Are you generally satisfied or dissatisfied with the way [items rotated] has been conducted?

	*Satisfied*	*Dissatisfied*	*No opinion*
	%	%	%
*2008 Oct 23-26*
John McCain's campaign	40	59	1
Barack Obama's campaign	66	31	2

For Comparison: 2000-2004 elections

	Satisfied	Dissatisfied	No opinion
	%	%	%
2004 Oct 22-24
George W. Bush's campaign	55	42	3
John Kerry's campaign	51	46	3

2000 Oct 6-9
George W. Bush's campaign	58	31	11
Al Gore's campaign	61	30	9

(Asked of a half sample) How would you describe the tone of the presidential campaign so far? Would you say it has been mostly positive, about equally positive and negative, or mostly negative in tone?

(Asked of those who say the campaign has been mostly negative) Would you say that it has been very negative or somewhat negative?

	2008 Oct 23-26^	2004 Oct 22-24^	2000 Oct 6-9
	%	%	%
Mostly positive	11	13	26
About equally positive and negative	37	37	55
Mostly negative	50	48	15
(Very negative)	(26)	(23)	(3)
(Somewhat negative)	(24)	(25)	(12)
No opinion	1	2	4

^ Asked of a half sample

(Asked of a half sample) How confident are you that, across the country, the votes will be accurately cast and counted in next year's election -- very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident?

	Very confident	Somewhat confident	Not too confident	Not at all confident	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	18	41	30	11	*
2007 Nov 30-Dec 2	25	46	20	10	*
2006 Oct 20-22	28	47	17	8	*
2004 Oct 14-16 ^	29	43	21	6	1
2004 Jul 19-21 ^	34	42	15	6	3

* Less than 0.5%
^ WORDING: How confident are you that, across the country, the votes for president will be accurately cast and counted in this year's election -- very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident?

(Asked of a half sample) Just your best guess, in this year's election, will be a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem at all across the country? How about -- [ITEMS ROTATED]?

A. Eligible voters not being allowed to cast a vote

	Major problem	Minor problem	Not a problem at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	32	32	35	1
2004 Oct 14-16	25	31	41	3

B. Votes being cast by people who, by law, are not eligible to vote

	Major problem	Minor problem	Not a problem at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	44	32	23	1
2004 Oct 14-16	24	43	30	3

Regardless of whom you support, and trying to be as objective as possible, who do you think will win the presidential election in November?

	Obama	McCain	Other (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	71	23	*	6
2008 Jun 9-12	52	41	*	6
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

For comparison: 1996-2004 elections

2004: John Kerry vs. George W. Bush

	Kerry	Bush	Other (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2004 Oct 14-16	36	56	*	8
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1	47	47	*	6
2004 Mar 5-7	42	52	*	6

2000: Al Gore vs. George W. Bush

	Gore	Bush	Other (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
(RV) 2000 Sep 15-17	52	35	*	13
(NA) 2000 Aug 24-27	36	47	1	16
(NA) 2000 Aug 4-5	23	70	*	7
(NA) 2000 Jun 6-7	23	70	*	7
(NA) 2000 Mar 10-12	35	53	1	11
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

1996: Bill Clinton vs. Bob Dole

	Clinton	Dole	Other (vol.)	No opinion
1996 Aug 23-25	69%	24	--	7

If you could vote separately for vice president, would you be more likely to vote for -- [ROTATED: Joe Biden, the Democrat, (or) Sarah Palin, the Republican]?

	Biden	Palin	Neither (vol.)	Other (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	54	43	1	*	2
(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ Asked of half sample

For comparison: 1988 and 2004 elections

2004: John Edwards vs. Dick Cheney

	Edwards	Cheney	Neither (vol.)	Other (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
(RV) 2004 Oct 9-10	51	45	2	*	2
(RV) 2004 Aug 23-25 ^	52	42	2	*	4
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ Asked of half sample

1988: Lloyd Bentsen vs. Dan Quayle

	Bentsen	Quayle	Neither (vol.)	Other (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
(RV) 1988 Oct 7-9	53	31	--	--	16

If [ROTATED: John McCain/Barack Obama] is elected president in November, which party would you prefer to have in control of Congress -- [ROTATED: the Republican Party, or the Democratic Party]?

A. If John McCain is elected

	Republican	Democratic	Neither/ Doesn't matter (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	38	57	3	3
(vol.) = Volunteered response

B. If Barack Obama is elected

	Republican	Democratic	Neither/ Doesn't matter (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Oct 23-26	48	47	2	3
(vol.) = Volunteered response

For comparison: 1996 and 2004 elections

2004: If George W. Bush is re-elected

	Republican	Democratic	Neither (vol.)	Doesn't matter (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
(RV) 2004 Oct 22-24	45	52	1	1	1

2004: If John Kerry is elected

	Republican	Democratic	Neither (vol.)	Doesn't matter (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
(RV) 2004 Oct 22-24	49	47	1	2	1

1996: If Bill Clinton is re-elected

	Republican	Democratic	Neither (vol.)	Doesn't matter (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
(RV) 1996 Oct 27-28	46	47	2	2	3
(RV) 1996 Sep 7-9	44	46	2	4	5
(RV) 1996 Sep 6-8	44	46	2	4	5
(RV) 1996 Sep 5-7	44	45	2	4	6
(RV) 1996 Sep 4-6	43	47	2	3	5
(vol.) = Volunteered response
(RV) = Registered voters

Now, thinking about how the outcome of this year's presidential election might affect your own financial situation, do you think you, personally, would be better off if -- [ROTATED: John McCain is elected president (or if) Barack Obama is elected president]

	McCain	Obama	Same/No difference (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 23-26	43	48	6	3
(vol.) = Volunteered response

If -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- is elected president, are you confident that he and his economic advisers can fix the economy, or not?

*2008 Oct 10-12*	Yes, confident	No, not confident	No opinion
	%	%	%
Barack Obama	44	50	6
John McCain	31	63	6

(Asked of those with a candidate preference) What would you say are the one or two most important reasons why you would vote for [preferred candidate]? [OPEN-ENDED]

(Asked of those with a candidate leaning) What would you say are the one or two most important reasons why you lean toward voting for [preferred candidate]?

	Oct 3-5, 2008	Sep. 8-11, 2008
	%	%
Want change/Fresh approach	22	21
Agree with his values/views (nonspecific)	16	10
Experienced/Qualified	13	12
Economy/His economic plan	8	11
Always support that party	7	11
Honest/Has integrity/Good character	7	11
Iraq war/Plans for handling it	7	6
Smart/Intelligent/Knowledgeable	5	4
National security/Terrorism issue	5	9
For the working/middle class	4	6
Like his choice of running mate	3	5
Military background/Service to country	3	5
Healthcare reform	3	2
Independent/Goes against party/A maverick	2	3
Conservative/More conservative candidate	2	3
International affairs/Foreign policy	2	3
Taxes/His tax plan	2	2
Trustworthy/Trust him	1	5
Education/His education plan	1	1
Favors smaller government	1	3
Energy/His energy plan	1	2
Environment/Global warming	*	1

Other	15	4

No reason in particular (vol.)	3	2

No opinion	2	1
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response
Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

Does each of the following make you more likely to vote for Barack Obama for president, less likely to vote for him, or does it make no difference to your vote? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

2008 Oct 3-5 (sorted by "more likely")	More likely	No difference	Less likely	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
His economic and tax plans	43	22	31	5
That he opposed the war in Iraq in 2003	43	26	30	1
His pro-choice position on abortion	38	29	31	2
His choice of Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate	36	45	18	1
That he opposed the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2007	32	29	36	2
That he is a Democrat	29	51	19	1
His age	24	67	9	1
His race	8	86	6	1

Does each of the following make you more likely to vote for John McCain for president, less likely to vote for him, or does it make no difference to your vote? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

2008 Oct 3-5 (sorted by "more likely")	More likely	No difference	Less likely	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
That he supported the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2007	37	30	32	2
His pro-life position on abortion	34	29	35	2
His choice of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate	32	26	41	1
That he supported the war in Iraq in 2003	30	27	42	1
His economic and tax plans	29	22	43	6
That he is a Republican	22	49	29	1
His age	8	55	37	1
His race	7	86	6	1

In your view, has the news media's coverage of John McCain during the presidential campaign been -- [ROTATED: unfairly positive, about right, or unfairly negative]?

	Unfairly positive	About right	Unfairly negative	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 8-11	13	53	30	4
2008 Jul 25-27	12	46	32	10

In your view, has the news media's coverage of Barack Obama during the presidential campaign been -- [ROTATED: unfairly positive, about right, or unfairly negative]?

	Unfairly positive	About right	Unfairly negative	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 8-11	32	47	16	5
2008 Jul 25-27	39	39	15	7

In your view, has the news media's coverage of Joe Biden during the presidential campaign been -- [ROTATED: unfairly positive, about right, or unfairly negative]?

	Unfairly positive	About right	Unfairly negative	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 8-11	15	59	11	16

In your view, has the news media's coverage of Sarah Palin during the presidential campaign been -- [ROTATED: unfairly positive, about right, or unfairly negative]?

	Unfairly positive	About right	Unfairly negative	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 8-11	21	36	33	9

If you had to choose, which of the following issues will be most important to your vote for president -- [ROTATED: the economy, terrorism, the situation in Iraq, health care, energy, including gas prices], or some other issue?

	2008 Sep 5-7	2008 Aug 21-23
	%	%
The economy	42	43
The situation in Iraq	13	15
Energy, including gas prices	13	14
Health care	13	11
Terrorism	12	9
Illegal immigration (vol.)	1	1
Abortion (vol.)	1	1
Education (vol.)	1	*
Environment (vol.)	*	*

Other	4	4

No opinion	1	3
* Less than 0.5%

Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each applies or doesn't apply to Barack Obama. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Is a strong and decisive leader

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	61	37	2
2008 Apr 18-20	55	39	6
2008 Mar 14-16	56	37	7

B. Shares your values

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	58	40	2
2008 Apr 18-20	51	44	5
2008 Mar 14-16	51	44	5

C. Has a clear plan for solving the country's problems

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	51	46	3
2008 Apr 18-20	40	53	7
2008 Mar 14-16	41	53	6

D. Can manage the government effectively

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	55	41	4
2008 Apr 18-20	48	45	6
2008 Mar 14-16	48	45	7

E. Understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	73	26	1
2008 Apr 18-20	63	34	3
2008 Mar 14-16	67	30	3

F. Cares about the needs of people like you

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	62	33	5
2008 Mar 14-16	66	31	3

G. Is honest and trustworthy

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	60	32	8
2008 Mar 14-16	63	29	7

H. Is someone you would be proud to have as president

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	55	41	4
2008 Mar 14-16	57	38	4

I. Has a vision for the country's future

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Mar 14-16	67	29	4

J. Would work well with both parties to get things done in Washington

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Mar 14-16	62	33	5

Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each applies or doesn't apply to John McCain. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Is a strong and decisive leader

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	63	35	2
2008 Apr 18-20	66	28	6
2008 Mar 14-16	69	27	4
2000 Feb 25-27	68	20	12
2000 Feb 20-21	59	26	15
2000 Feb 4-6	62	22	16

B. Shares your values

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	50	47	3
2008 Apr 18-20	47	47	6
2008 Mar 14-16	46	49	5

C. Has a clear plan for solving the country's problems

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	35	61	4
2008 Apr 18-20	33	58	9
2008 Mar 14-16	42	52	6

D. Can manage the government effectively

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	55	43	2
2008 Apr 18-20	55	37	8
2008 Mar 14-16	60	34	6

E. Understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	48	50	2
2008 Apr 18-20	50	43	7
2008 Mar 14-16	55	41	5

F. Cares about the needs of people like you

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	52	41	6
2008 Mar 14-16	54	42	4

G. Is honest and trustworthy

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	65	27	8
2008 Mar 14-16	67	27	6

H. Is someone you would be proud to have as president

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	51	44	5
2008 Mar 14-16	55	41	4
2000 Feb 25-27	57	31	12

I. Has a vision for the country's future

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Mar 14-16	65	30	5
2000 Feb 20-21	67	19	14

J. Would work well with both parties to get things done in Washington

	Applies	Doesn't apply	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Mar 14-16	61	34	5
2000 Feb 20-21	60	27	13

How concerned are you that, as president, John McCain would pursue policies that are too similar to what George W. Bush has pursued -- very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?

	Very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Not too concerned	Not concerned at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	46	20	17	16	1
2008 Sep 5-7	42	21	21	16	*
2008 Aug 30-31 ^†	47	17	17	17	1
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	41	25	18	15	1
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	49	19	16	15	1

* Less than 0.5%
^ Asked of a half sample
† USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup tracking survey

How concerned are you that Barack Obama lacks the experience needed to be an effective president -- very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?

	Very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Not too concerned	Not concerned at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Oct 10-12	39	18	18	25	*
2008 Sep 5-7	38	18	17	26	1
2008 Aug 30-31 ^†	31	19	18	29	3
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	35	22	19	23	1

* Less than 0.5%
^ Asked of a half sample
† USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup tracking survey

Thinking now about the challenges facing the next president, do you think these will be -- [ROTATED: more serious, about the same, (or) less serious] -- than what other new presidents have faced?

(Asked of those who think challenges facing next president will be more serious) Do you think the challenges facing the next president will be more serious than any new president has faced in the last 50 years, much more serious than usual, but not the most serious of the last 50 years, or only somewhat more serious than what new presidents have faced?

	*2008 Oct 10-12*
	%
More serious than what other new presidents have faced	84
(Most serious new president has faced in last 50 years)	(44)
(Much more serious, but not the most serious)	(27)
(Somewhat more serious)	(13)

About the same	12

Less serious than what other new presidents have faced	2

No opinion	1

For each of the following candidates, please say whether you think his or her political views are too conservative, about right, or too liberal. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Barack Obama

	Too conservative	About right	Too liberal	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	6	44	45	5
2008 Aug 21-23	6	43	43	8
2008 Jun 15-19	9	43	40	8
2008 Feb 8-10	8	47	37	8

B. John McCain

	Too conservative	About right	Too liberal	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	35	45	14	6
2008 Aug 21-23	36	39	17	8
2008 Jun 15-19	40	37	15	8
2008 Feb 8-10	30	42	20	8
2000 Feb 25-27	19	43	19	19
2000 Jan 17-19	15	36	13	36

Next, thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each one applies more to Barack Obama or more to John McCain. How about -- [random order]?

A. Cares about the needs of people like you

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	52	40	4	2	2
2008 Aug 21-23	53	33	5	7	2
2008 Jun 15-19	52	30	8	8	2

B. Is a strong and decisive leader

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	41	52	4	1	2
2008 Aug 30-31 †	46	44	4	2	4
2008 Aug 21-23	40	48	4	4	4
2008 Jun 15-19	40	46	7	4	3
† USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup tracking survey

C. Shares your values

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	48	44	3	3	2
2008 Aug 30-31 †	52	39	3	3	4
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	47	40	2	7	4
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	47	39	4	6	4
^ Asked of a half sample
† USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup tracking survey

D. Can manage the government effectively

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	42	49	3	3	3
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	43	44	5	5	3
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	42	42	7	6	3
^ Asked of a half sample

E. Is independent in his thoughts and actions

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	45	46	3	3	3
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	50	37	7	3	3
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	52	36	4	5	3
^ Asked of a half sample

F. Is honest and trustworthy

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	39	46	9	2	4
2008 Aug 30-31 †	45	37	8	6	4
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	39	39	10	8	4
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	39	35	14	8	4
^ Asked of a half sample
† USA Today/Gallup poll asked on Gallup tracking survey

G. Would work well with both parties to get things done in Washington

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	44	48	3	2	3
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	51	38	6	3	2
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	48	35	9	5	3
^ Asked of a half sample

H. Puts the country's interests ahead of his own political interests

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	42	49	4	2	3
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	44	42	5	5	4
^ Asked of a half sample

I. Has a clear plan for solving the country's problems

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	41	31	5	19	4
^ Asked of a half sample

J. Would stand up to special interests, including those aligned with his party

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	48	34	7	6	5
^ Asked of a half sample

K. Understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	54	29	7	8	2
^ Asked of a half sample

Do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- has -- or has not -- changed his position on issues for political reasons?

A. Barack Obama

	Yes, has	No, has not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7 ^	56	36	8
2008 Aug 21-23	64	31	5
^ Asked of a half sample

B. John McCain

	Yes, has	No, has not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7 ^	46	46	8
2008 Aug 21-23	57	36	7
^ Asked of a half sample

Next, how effective do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- would be as president in addressing problems in the U.S. economy -- very effective, somewhat effective, not too effective, or not effective at all?

A. Barack Obama

	Very effective	Somewhat effective	Not too effective	Not effective at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	28	38	17	14	3

B. John McCain

	Very effective	Somewhat effective	Not too effective	Not effective at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	21	42	17	18	2

As you may know, both Barack Obama and John McCain say that they want to change the way the government in Washington works. How effective do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- would be as president in changing the way the government works -- very effective, somewhat effective, not too effective, or not effective at all?

A. John McCain

	Very effective	Somewhat effective	Not too effective	Not effective at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	20	34	22	22	2

B. Barack Obama

	Very effective	Somewhat effective	Not too effective	Not effective at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 5-7	25	36	22	15	2

Which best describes your view of Barack Obama and John McCain -- [ROTATED: both would be a good president, neither would be a good president, only Barack Obama would be a good president (or) only John McCain would be a good president]?

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	25	19	29	25	2
2008 Jun 15-19	24	18	30	24	4

For comparison (2004 election):

	Both would be good	Neither would be good	Only Kerry would be good	Only Bush would be good	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2004 Oct 14-16	12	8	38	40	2
2004 Sep 3-5	15	11	33	40	1
2004 Feb 16-17	21	8	36	32	3

Do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- does -- or does not -- have a clear plan for solving the country's problems?

A. John McCain

	Yes, does	No, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	48	47	5

B. Barack Obama

	Yes, does	No, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	47	50	3

If you had to choose, which of the following will be more important to your vote for president this year -- [ROTATED: a candidate's ability to improve the nation's economy (or) a candidate's ability to ensure the nation's security]?

	Improve the economy	Ensure nation's security	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	54	43	3

How concerned are you that Barack Obama may be too closely aligned with people who hold radical political views -- very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?

	Very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Not too concerned	Not concerned at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	25	25	17	31	2
2008 Jun 15-19	28	24	23	24	1

^ Asked of a half sample

How concerned are you that John McCain is too old to be president -- very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?

	Very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Not too concerned	Not concerned at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23 ^	16	23	25	36	*
* Less than 0.5%
^ Asked of a half sample

If John McCain is elected president, who do you think his policies would benefit the most -- [ROTATED: the wealthy, the middle class, the poor], or all about equally?

	Wealthy	Middle class	Poor	All equally	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	53	19	1	25	2

If Barack Obama is elected president, who do you think his policies would benefit the most -- [ROTATED: the wealthy, the middle class, the poor], or all about equally?

	Wealthy	Middle class	Poor	All equally	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	16	33	22	25	4

If Barack Obama is elected president, do you think his actions as president would make race relations in the United States -- [ROTATED: much better, somewhat better, have no effect, make race relations somewhat worse (or) much worse]?

	Much better	Some- what better	Have no effect	Some- what worse	Much worse	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	13	31	30	15	9	2

Would you say that John McCain has -- or has not -- attacked Barack Obama unfairly?

	Yes, has	No, has not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	48	47	5

Would you say that Barack Obama has -- or has not -- attacked John McCain unfairly?

	Yes, has	No, has not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	30	64	6

When you are considering which presidential candidate to vote for, how important is the candidate's spouse in your decision -- very important, somewhat important, not too important, not important at all?

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not too important	Not important at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	23	29	25	23	*
2004 Sep 13-15	23	31	25	20	1
* Less than 0.5%

A president can come from many different types of backgrounds. Please tell me how important military service is. Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for someone with military service or wouldn't it make a difference to you?

	More likely	Less likely	No difference	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	36	5	58	1
2004 Feb 16-17	38	1	60	1

Trend for Comparison: A president can come from many different types of backgrounds. Please tell me how important each of the following is. What about military service? Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for someone with military service or wouldn't it make a difference to you? (Source: Gordon Black/USA Today)

	More likely	Less likely	No difference	No opinion
1987 Oct 25-30	36%	4	60	--

Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for someone who was a prisoner of war while serving in the U.S. military or wouldn't it make a difference to you?

	More likely	Less likely	No difference	No opinion
2008 Aug 21-23	12%	4	83	1

Which one of the candidates running for president do you plan to vote for in November? (OPEN ENDED)

(If undecided) Are you currently leaning toward voting for one of the candidates for president in November? [IF YES:] Who is that? (OPEN ENDED)

2008 Aug 7-10	Registered voters	National adults

Barack Obama (Democrat)	45	44
John McCain (Republican)	38	38
Bob Barr (Libertarian Party)	1	*
Ralph Nader (Independent)	1	*
Cynthia McKinney (Green Party)	*	*
Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party)	--	--

Hillary Clinton	1	1

Other	1	1
None	5	6
Won't vote (vol.)	2	3
No opinion	6	7

* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Now, please think for a moment about the in which way Barack Obama and John McCain would handle important issues as president. When it comes to handling -- [RANDOM ORDER], please tell me if you think -- [ROTATED: both Obama and McCain would do a good job, neither would do a good job, only Obama would do a good job, (or) only McCain would do a good job]?

A. The economy

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	19	17	35	24	5
2008 Jun 15-19	23	13	36	23	5

B. Terrorism

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	28	10	17	39	6
2008 Jun 15-19	30	8	19	40	3

C. The situation in Iraq

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	17	11	31	36	5
2008 Jun 15-19	15	9	36	37	3

D. Energy, including gas prices

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	16	21	34	23	6
2008 Jun 15-19	23	17	36	19	5

E. (Asked of a half sample) Relations with other countries

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	27	5	35	28	5

F. (Asked of a half sample) Dealing with foreign leaders

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	31	7	28	30	4

G. Moral values

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	38	9	22	26	5

H. Illegal immigration

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	27	19	22	25	7

I. Healthcare

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	22	15	40	18	5

J. Taxes

	Both	Neither	Only Obama	Only McCain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	21	15	33	27	4

(Asked of those who say "both" would do a good job on a given issue) If you had to choose, who do you think would do a better job on -- [RANDOM ORDER AS APPROPRIATE] -- [ROTATED: Barack Obama (or) John McCain]?

COMBINED RESULTS: CANDIDATE WHO WOULD DO A BETTER JOB ON EACH ISSUE

A. The economy

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	45	30	17	8
2008 Jun 15-19	48	32	13	7

B. Terrorism

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	32	48	10	10
2008 Jun 15-19	33	52	8	7

C. The situation in Iraq

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	40	42	11	7
2008 Jun 15-19	43	43	9	5

D. Energy, including gas prices

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	41	28	21	10
2008 Jun 15-19	47	28	17	8

E. (Asked of a half sample) Relations with other countries

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	52	37	5	6

F. (Asked of a half sample) Dealing with foreign leaders

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	47	39	7	7

G. Healthcare

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	51	26	15	8

H. Taxes

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	44	35	15	6

I. Moral values

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	40	39	9	12

J. Illegal immigration

	Obama	McCain	Neither do a good job	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	34	36	19	11

As you may know, Barack Obama is concluding his overseas trip to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Europe. Would you say you have a -- [ROTATED: very positive, positive, negative, (or) very negative] opinion of this trip, or don't you know enough to say?

	Very positive	Positive	Negative	Very negative	Don't know enough to say	No answer
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jul 25-27	12	23	17	9	38	1

How much difference do you think the result of the election for president will make to you and your family -- a great deal of difference, quite a lot, not much, or no difference at all?

*2008 Jun 15-19*	A great deal	Quite a lot	Not much	None at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
Likely voters	38	32	19	8	3

Registered voters	34	30	22	11	3

National adults	32	29	24	12	3

*For comparison (Harris Polls)*
	A great deal	Quite a lot	Not much	None at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2004 Oct 14-17 (likely voters)	43	30	19	6	1
2000 Oct 19-26 (reg. voters)	22	32	31	12	4
1996 Oct 17-20 (likely voters)	19	29	39	10	2

Which of the following do you think will be most important to you when you decide who to vote for -- [ROTATED: where the candidates stand on issues that matter to you (or) the leadership skills and vision that you think the candidates would have as president]?

	Stance on the issues	Leadership skills and vision	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
*Likely voters*	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	43	46	10	*	1

2008 Feb 8-10	48	44	7	*	1
2004 Oct 1-3	39	46	14	*	1
2004 Sep 24-26	37	48	14	*	1
2004 Sep 3-5	38	50	11	*	1
2004 Jan 2-5	40	50	9	*	1
2000 Oct 20-22	44	36	17	1	2
2000 Sep 28-30	44	36	15	2	3
2000 Sep 11-13	44	38	15	1	2
2000 Sep 10-12	47	35	14	1	3
2000 Sep 9-11	48	33	16	1	2
2000 Sep 8-10	48	33	16	1	2
2000 Sep 7-9	45	35	16	1	3
2000 Aug 18-19	43	37	18	1	1
2000 Aug 11-12	46	36	17	*	1
2000 Jul 25-26	40	39	20	*	1
2000 Mar 10-12	38	50	11	1	*
2000 Feb 25-27	41	47	11	*	1
2000 Feb 4-6	39	48	12	*	1
2000 Jan 17-19	37	44	17	--	2
2000 Jan 13-16	39	47	13	1	--
2000 Jan 7-10	36	51	12	1	*

*Registered voters*
2008 Jun 15-19	42	45	10	*	3

2008 Feb 8-10	46	44	7	1	1
2004 Oct 1-3	40	45	13	*	2
2004 Sep 24-26	36	47	15	*	2
2004 Sep 3-5	39	47	11	1	2
2004 Jan 2-5	42	50	7	*	1
2000 Oct 20-22	43	38	15	1	3
2000 Sep 28-30	45	34	15	2	4
2000 Sep 11-13	46	36	13	1	4
2000 Sep 10-12	48	34	13	1	4
2000 Sep 9-11	48	33	15	*	4
2000 Sep 8-10	49	33	14	1	3
2000 Sep 7-9	46	34	15	1	4
2000 Aug 18-19	43	39	16	1	1
2000 Aug 11-12	45	37	15	1	2
2000 Jul 25-26	39	40	18	1	2
2000 Mar 10-12	37	50	10	1	2
2000 Feb 25-27	41	48	10	*	1
2000 Feb 4-6	40	46	12	*	2
2000 Jan 17-19	36	46	16	*	2
2000 Jan 13-16	35	51	11	1	2
2000 Jan 7-10	38	50	10	1	1

*National adults*
2008 Jun 15-19	42	45	9	1	3

2008 Feb 8-10	45	45	7	1	1
2004 Oct 1-3	39	46	12	1	2
2004 Sep 24-26	35	48	14	1	2
2004 Sep 3-5	39	47	12	*	2
2004 Jan 2-5	41	50	7	*	2
2000 Aug 18-19	43	40	14	1	2
2000 Aug 11-12	44	37	14	2	3
2000 Jul 25-26	39	41	17	1	2
2000 Mar 10-12	38	50	10	1	1
2000 Feb 25-27	40	48	10	*	2
2000 Feb 4-6	39	47	11	1	2
2000 Jan 17-19	37	44	16	1	2
2000 Jan 13-16	36	50	11	1	2
2000 Jan 7-10	37	49	10	1	3

* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

(Asked of a half sample) How concerned are you that, as president, Barack Obama would go too far in changing the policies that George W. Bush pursued -- very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?

	Very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Not too concerned	Not concerned at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	30	19	19	31	1

If you had to choose, which of the following presidential candidates would you be more likely to vote for -- [ROTATED: a candidate whose greatest strength is fixing the economy (or) a candidate whose greatest strength is protecting the country from terrorism]?

	Fixing the economy	Protecting from terrorism	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	56	39	5

(Asked of a half sample) If a situation arose that required the president to make a decision whether or not to send U.S. troops into combat, who would you trust more to make that decision -- [ROTATED: Barack Obama (or) John McCain]?

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	40	53	3	2	2

^ Asked of a half sample
(vol.) = Volunteered response

(Asked of a half sample) If a situation arose that required the president to make a decision whether or not to send U.S. troops to Iran, who would you trust more to make that decision -- [ROTATED: Barack Obama (or) John McCain]?

	Obama	McCain	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19 ^	43	48	2	3	4

^ Asked of a half sample
(vol.) = Volunteered response

As you may know, John McCain and Barack Obama have said they want to prevent Washington lobbyists and insiders from influencing their campaigns and their administrations. How important a factor is this in influencing your vote for president -- very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all?

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not too important	Not important at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	43	31	15	10	1

Both John McCain and Barack Obama have said they want to conduct a presidential campaign based only on the issues and not based on personal attacks. How likely do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- is to conduct a campaign based only on the issues -- very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not likely at all]?

A. Barack Obama

	Very likely	Somewhat likely	Not too likely	Not likely at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	36	37	15	10	2

B. John McCain

	Very likely	Somewhat likely	Not too likely	Not likely at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	27	41	18	12	2

Are you concerned that Barack Obama lacks the experience needed to be an effective president, or not?

[IF "YES," PROBE: Are you very concerned, or only somewhat concerned?]

	Very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Not concerned	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	35	19	44	2

Everything else being equal, do you think the fact that Barack Obama is black would make him a -- [ROTATED: more effective president, would not make any difference, or would make him a less effective president]?

	More effective	Not make any difference	Less effective	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	9	82	8	1

Everything else being equal, do you think the fact that John McCain would be 72 years old when elected president would make him a -- [ROTATED: more effective president, would not make any difference, or would make him a less effective president]?

	More effective	Not make any difference	Less effective	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	11	65	23	1

How concerned are you that John McCain may be too closely aligned with people who hold radical political views -- very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?

	Very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Not too concerned	Not concerned at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Jun 15-19	17	25	30	27	1

(Asked of Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party) Next, I'm going to read a list of people who are running in the Democratic primary for president. After I read all the names, please tell me which of those candidates you would be most likely to support for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, or if you would support someone else.

[ROTATED: New York Senator, Hillary Clinton; Former Alaska Senator, Mike Gravel; Illinois Senator, Barack Obama]

Democratic Presidential Nomination Preference:

(Asked of Republicans and independents who lean to the Republican Party) Next, I'm going to read a list of people who are running in the Republican primary for president. After I read all the names, please tell me which of those candidates you would be most likely to support for the Republican nomination for president in 2008, or if you would support someone else.

[ROTATED: Former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee; Arizona Senator, John McCain; Texas Congressman, Ron Paul; Former ambassador, Alan Keyes]

Republican Presidential Nomination Preference:

Suppose the election were being held today. If Hillary Clinton were the Democratic Party's candidate and John McCain were the Republican Party's candidate, who would you be more likely to vote for -- [ROTATED: Hillary Clinton, the Democrat (or) John McCain, the Republican]?

(Asked of those who are undecided) As of today, do you lean more toward -- [ROTATED: Clinton, the Democrat (or) McCain, the Republican]?

	Clinton	McCain	Other (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
*Likely voters*
2008 May 30-Jun 1	48	44	1	4	3
2008 May 1-3	46	49	1	3	1
2008 Apr 18-20	49	45	1	2	3
2008 Mar 14-16	51	46	*	1	1
2008 Feb 21-24	46	50	1	2	1
2008 Feb 8-10	48	49	1	2	1
2008 Jan 10-13	47	50	1	2	1

*Registered voters*
2008 May 30-Jun 1	49	43	2	4	2
2008 May 1-3	46	48	1	4	1
2008 Apr 18-20	50	44	1	3	3
2008 Mar 14-16	48	47	2	2	2
2008 Feb 21-24	47	49	1	2	1
2008 Feb 8-10	48	48	1	3	1
2008 Jan 10-13	47	50	1	2	1
2007 Nov 11-14	50	44	*	3	2
2007 Jun 11-14	49	46	*	3	2
2007 Feb 9-11	50	47	*	1	1
2005 Oct 21-23	43	53	1	2	1
2005 Jul 25-28	45	50	--	2	3

*National adults*
2008 May 30-Jun 1	49	42	1	5	3
2008 May 1-3	48	45	1	4	2
2008 Apr 18-20	51	42	1	4	3
2008 Mar 14-16	49	46	1	2	2
2008 Feb 21-24	48	47	1	3	1
2008 Feb 8-10	47	48	1	3	1
2008 Jan 10-13	48	48	1	2	1
2007 Nov 11-14	50	42	*	4	3
2007 Jun 11-14	50	45	*	3	2
2007 Feb 9-11	52	46	*	1	1
2005 Oct 21-23	43	53	1	2	1
2005 Jul 25-28	45	50	--	2	3
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

(Asked of Democrats and Democratic leaners) Do you think the long campaign for the Democratic nomination has -- [ROTATED: helped the party's chance of winning the presidential election in November, has not had any effect, or has hurt the party's chance of winning the presidential election in November]?

	Helped	No effect	Hurt	No opinion
2008 May 30-Jun 1	24%	27	44	5
*National adults*
2008 May 30-Jun 1	19%	24	50	7

(Asked of Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party) Do you think Hillary Clinton should -- [ROTATED: drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination for president (or should she) continue to campaign for the Democratic nomination for president]?

	Should drop out	Should continue to campaign	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 May 30-Jun 1	39	59	2

Next we have a question about a president's policies to help improve the standard of living of blacks in the United States. Do you think the policies of -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- would go too far, would be about right, or would not go far enough in promoting efforts to aid the black community?

A. John McCain

	Would go too far	Would be about right	Would not go far enough	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 May 30-Jun 1	5	37	36	22

B. Barack Obama

	Would go too far	Would be about right	Would not go far enough	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 May 30-Jun 1	26	47	9	18

If Barack Obama were elected president, do you think he would improve relations between whites and blacks in this country in a way no other candidate could, or would Barack Obama not be able to achieve this?

	Would improve relations like no other	Would not be able to achieve this	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 May 30-Jun 1	47	44	9

For comparison: Colin Powell

	Would improve relations like no other	Would not be able to achieve this	No opinion
	%	%	%
1995 Oct 5-7	42	38	20

Does the fact that Barack Obama is black make you -- [ROTATED: much more likely to vote for him for president, somewhat more likely, does it make no difference, does it make you somewhat less likely (or) much less likely to vote for him for president]?

	Much more likely	Some- what more likely	Makes no difference	Some- what less likely	Much less likely	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
*Likely voters*
2008 May 30-Jun 1	1	5	89	2	2	1

*Registered voters*
2008 May 30-Jun 1	2	5	87	3	2	1

*National adults*
2008 May 30-Jun 1	2	5	86	3	3	1

Suppose Barack Obama is the Democratic candidate for president in the November election. Just your best guess, do you think in general, the fact that Barack Obama is black would -- [ROTATED: gain him more votes than it would cost him, make little difference, (or would it) cost him more votes than it would gain him]?

	Gain him more votes	Make little difference	Cost him more votes	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 May 30-Jun 1	20	47	27	6

If Barack Obama is the Democratic candidate for president, how likely do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- is to use race as an issue in the campaign -- very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely?

A. The Democratic Party

	Very likely	Somewhat likely	Not too likely	Not at all likely	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 30-Jun 1	21	30	29	18	2

B. The Republican Party

	Very likely	Somewhat likely	Not too likely	Not at all likely	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 30-Jun 1	26	26	24	22	2

(Asked of Democrats and Democratic leaners) In your view, what should happen now in the Democratic presidential nomination campaign -- [ROTATED: Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race and concede the nomination to Barack Obama, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama should continue to campaign, (or) Barack Obama should drop out of the race and concede the nomination to Hillary Clinton]?

	Clinton should drop out	Both should continue to campaign	Obama should drop out	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 May 8-11	35	55	7	2
2008 May 1-3	23	60	15	2

(Asked of Democrats and Democratic leaners) If Barack Obama is the Democratic presidential nominee, would you like to see him choose Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate, or would you rather he choose someone else?

	Choose Hillary Clinton	Choose someone else	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 May 8-11	55	38	7

(Asked of Democratic and independents who lean to the Democratic Party) If -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- wins the Democratic nomination for president, which would best describe your reaction -- you would vote for him/her enthusiastically in November 2008, you would vote for him/her, but mainly as a vote against the Republican, you would vote for the Republican, or you would stay home on Election Day and not vote?

A. Barack Obama

	Vote for enthus- iastically	Vote for, mainly against the Repub- lican	Vote for the Repub- lican	Stay home, not vote	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 1-3	54	20	12	12	2
2008 Jan 30-Feb 2	55	20	7	13	5
2007 Oct 12-14	49	31	6	8	6

B. Hillary Clinton

	Vote for enthu- siastically	Vote for, mainly against the Repub- lican	Vote for the Repub- lican	Stay home, not vote	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 1-3	55	26	9	9	1
2008 Jan 30-Feb 2	53	24	9	10	4
2007 Oct 12-14	64	22	4	6	5

(Asked of Democrats and Democratic leaners) Next, thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each one applies more to Hillary Clinton or more to Barack Obama. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Cares about the needs of people like you

	Clinton	Obama	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 1-3	47	43	7	2	1
2008 Feb 21-24	41	48	9	2	1
(vol.) = Volunteered response

B. Has the best chance of beating John McCain in November

	Clinton	Obama	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 1-3	48	43	5	*	4
2008 Feb 21-24 ^	30	63	4	1	2
* Less than 0.5%
^ WORDING: Has the best chance of beating the Republican in November

C. Is honest and trustworthy

	Clinton	Obama	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 1-3	34	48	10	6	2
2008 Feb 21-24	37	50	8	2	3

D. Is a strong and decisive leader

	Clinton	Obama	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 1-3	53	37	7	3	*
2008 Feb 21-24	49	42	5	1	2
* Less than 0.5%

E. Shares your values

	Clinton	Obama	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 May 1-3	47	42	6	3	2
2008 Feb 21-24	40	48	8	2	2

F. Can get things done

	Clinton	Obama	Both equally (vol.)		Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%		%
2008 Feb 21-24	40	53	4	1		2
(vol.) = Volunteered response

G. Has a clear plan for solving the country's problems

	Clinton	Obama	Both equally (vol.)		Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%		%
2008 Feb 21-24	39	49	4	5		4

H. Has a vision for the country's future

	Obama	Clinton	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 21-24	50	40	7	*	3
* Less than 0.5%

I. Understands the problems Americans face in their daily lives

	Obama	Clinton	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 21-24	47	43	7	2	1
(vol.) = Volunteered response

(Asked of those following the Jeremiah Wright controversy very, somewhat or not too closely) Which comes closer to your view -- [ROTATED: Barack Obama's association with Jeremiah Wright is a meaningful reflection on Obama's character and judgment that should be discussed in the campaign, (or) Barack Obama's association with Jeremiah Wright should not be discussed in the campaign because it is not a meaningful reflection on Obama's character and judgment]?

*2008 May 1-3*	Meaningful reflection/ Should be discussed	Not meaningful/ Should not be discussed	No opinion
	%	%	%
Following controversy ^	43	52	5
National adults	34	42	24

^ Based on 855 following the controversy

Does Barack Obama's association with Reverend Jeremiah Wright make you -- [ROTATED: more likely to vote for Obama, does it not affect your vote either way, (or) does it make you less likely to vote for Obama]?

	More likely	Not affect vote	Less likely	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Likely voters*
2008 May 1-3	1	64	33	2

*Registered voters*
2008 May 1-3	2	65	30	3

*National adults*
2008 May 1-3	2	66	29	3

Does Hillary Clinton's association with Bill Clinton make you -- [ROTATED: more likely to vote for Hillary Clinton, does it not affect your vote either way, (or) does it make you less likely to vote for Hillary Clinton]?

	More likely	Not affect vote	Less likely	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Likely voters*
2008 May 1-3	18	48	33	1

*Registered voters*
2008 May 1-3	18	52	29	1

*National adults*
2008 May 1-3	19	52	28	1

Does John McCain's association with George W. Bush make you -- [ROTATED: more likely to vote for John McCain, does it not affect your vote either way, (or) does it make you less likely to vote for John McCain]?

	More likely	Not affect vote	Less likely	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Likely voters*
2008 May 1-3	7	54	38	1

*Registered voters*
2008 May 1-3	7	54	38	1

*National adults*
2008 May 1-3	7	52	39	2

(Asked of Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party) Which comes closer to your view -- [ROTATED: the continuing Democratic nomination campaign is hurting the Democratic Party and party leaders should get together and back one of the candidates (or) the continuing Democratic nomination campaign is not hurting the Democratic Party and it should continue until one of the candidates has clinched the nomination]?

	Hurting party/ Back one candidate	Not hurting party/ Continue campaign	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	48	48	4

(Asked of Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party) Do you think the Democratic campaign for president has become too negative, or is it not too negative?

(Asked of those who think campaign has become too negative) Who do you blame more for the negative campaigning -- [ROTATED: the Clinton campaign, the Obama campaign], or both equally?

COMBINED RESULTS: BASED ON DEMOCRATS AND DEMOCRATIC LEANERS

	2008 Apr 18-20
	%

Campaign has become too negative	47
(Mostly blame Clinton campaign)	(20)
(Mostly blame Obama campaign)	(1)
(Blame both equally)	(25)
(Unsure)	(1)

Campaign has not become too negative	49

No opinion	4

In your opinion, is John McCain a different kind of Republican, or is he basically the same as most other Republicans?

	Different	Same as most others	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	45	48	7

(Asked of a half sample) Based on what you have heard or read about John McCain's military service, do you, personally, consider him to be a war hero, or not?

	Yes, a war hero	No, not a war hero	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Apr 18-20	66	20	14

(Asked of a half sample) Does John McCain's record of military service make you -- [ROTATED: more likely to vote for him, does it not make any difference, (or does it make you) more likely to vote against him]?

(Asked of those who say McCain's military service makes them more likely to vote for or against him) Would you say John McCain's military record is a major factor or a minor factor in your vote decision?

COMBINED RESULTS: BASED ON NATIONAL ADULTS

	2008 Apr 18-20
	%
More likely to vote for	38
(Major factor)	(15)
(Minor factor)	(23)

Does not make any difference	53

More likely to vote against	7
(Major factor)	(2)
(Minor factor)	(5)

No opinion	2

If -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- is elected president, how good of a job do you think he/she would do at ending the war in Iraq in the best possible way for the United States? Do you think he/she would do an excellent job, a good job, only a fair job, or a poor job?

2008 Apr 18-20 (sorted by "excellent")	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
John McCain	10	30	28	29	4
Hillary Clinton	10	30	28	28	3
Barack Obama	8	32	27	28	4

(Asked of a half sample) Do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- looks down on the average American, or respects the average American?

*2008 Apr 18-20 (sorted by "respects")*	Respects	Looks down on	No opinion
	%	%	%
John McCain	71	22	8
Barack Obama	69	26	5
Hillary Clinton	63	32	5

(Asked of a half sample) Do you think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- looks down on working class Americans, or respects working class Americans?

*2008 Apr 18-20 (sorted by "respects")*	Respects	Looks down on	No opinion
	%	%	%
Barack Obama	70	25	5
John McCain	69	24	7
Hillary Clinton	65	32	3

If Barack Obama and John McCain become the Democratic and Republican nominees for president this year, would you be satisfied with that choice, or not satisfied?

If Hillary Clinton and John McCain become the Democratic and Republican nominees for president this year, would you be satisfied with that choice, or not satisfied?

	Satisfied	Not satisfied	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Mar 14-16 (Obama-McCain)	65	32	3
2008 Mar 14-16 (Clinton-McCain)	60	38	2

2000 Jan 7-10 (Gore-Bush)	70	28	2
1996 Jan 12 (Clinton-Dole)	56	40	3

(Asked of Republicans and independents who lean to the Republican Party) Thinking about John McCain's choice of a vice presidential running mate, how important is each of the following to you -- very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not at all important? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. That John McCain chooses someone who is considerably more conservative than he is on the issues

	Very	Somewhat	Not too	Not at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Mar 14-16	33	36	17	11	3

B. That John McCain chooses someone who is considerably younger than he is

	Very	Somewhat	Not too	Not at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Mar 14-16	13	31	30	23	2

(Asked of Republicans and independents who lean to the Republican Party) If John McCain DOES NOT choose a vice presidential running mate who is considerably more conservative than he is, what would you be most likely to do in the November presidential election -- vote for McCain enthusiastically, vote for McCain, but mainly as a vote against the Democrat, vote for the Democrat, vote for a third party candidate, or stay home on Election Day and not vote?

	Vote for, enthusi- astically	Vote for, against Demo- crat	Vote for Demo- crat	Vote for third party	Not vote	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Mar 14-16	33	43	7	4	9	4

(Asked of a half sample) In your view, does -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- have the experience necessary to be a good president, or not?

*2008 Feb 21-24*	Yes, has	No, does not have	No opinion
	%	%	%
John McCain	70	22	8
Hillary Clinton	65	32	3
Barack Obama	46	46	7

If you had to choose, which of the following candidate characteristics will be most important to your vote for president -- [ROTATED: experience, positions on the issues, (or) leadership skills and vision]?

*2008 Feb 21-24*	Leadership skills and vision	Positions on issues	Experience	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Likely voters*	42	36	20	1

*Registered voters*	42	36	21	1

*National adults*	42	34	22	2

If you had to choose, which of the following issues will be most important to your vote for president -- [ROTATED: the economy, terrorism, the situation in Iraq, healthcare, (or) illegal immigration]?

*2008 Feb 21-24*	Economy	Iraq	Health- care	Terror- ism	Immi- gration	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
*Likely voters*	42	19	14	14	9	2

*Registered voters*	43	19	15	13	9	2

*National adults*	42	18	16	12	8	3

(Asked of a half sample) Just your best guess, how old is -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Hillary Clinton [ACTUAL AGE = 60]

	35-55	56-59	60	61-65	66 or older	No opinion	*Mean*	*Median*
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 21-24	42	24	18	11	1	4	56	56

B. John McCain [ACTUAL AGE = 71]

	35-65	66-70	71	72-75	76 or older	No opinion	*Mean*	*Median*
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 21-24	35	22	14	22	4	4	67	70

C. Barack Obama [ACTUAL AGE = 46]

	35-40	41-45	46	47-50	51 or older	No opinion	*Mean*	*Median*
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 21-24	17	32	7	24	15	5	46	45

For comparison: Prior presidential candidates

	Mean	Median	Actual

Al Gore (2000 Oct 6-9)	50	50	52
George W. Bush (2000 Oct 6-9)	52	52	54
Bob Dole (1996 July 18-19)	70	72	72
Bob Dole (1996 Mar 15-17)	68	70	72

(Asked of a half sample) Do you feel John McCain is too old to be president, or not?

2008 Feb 21-24	Yes, too old	No, not too old	No opinion
	%	%	%
*National adults*	20	76	4

*Registered voters ^*	20	77	3

*Likely voters †*	22	76	2

For comparison (Bob Dole): Do you feel Bob Dole is too old to be president, or not?

	Yes, too old	No, not too old	No opinion
	%	%	%
(LV) 96 Oct 19-20	32	67	1
(LV) 96 Oct 18-19	30	67	3
(LV) 96 Oct 17-18	30	67	3
(LV) 96 Oct 16-17	29	69	2
(LV) 96 Oct 15-16	32	66	2
(LV) 96 Oct 14-15	30	67	3
(LV) 96 Oct 13-14	31	65	4
(LV) 96 Oct 12-13	33	64	3
(LV) 96 Oct 11-12	32	65	3
(RV) 96 Oct 4-5	32	66	2
(RV) 96 Aug 16-18	28	71	1
(RV) 96 Aug 5-7	32	64	4
(NA) 96 Jul 18-19	31	66	3
(NA) 96 Mar 15-17	25	72	3
(NA) 96 Feb 23-25	27	67	6
(NA) = National adults
(RV) = Registered voters

(Asked of a half sample) Do you feel Barack Obama is too young to be president, or not?

2008 Feb 21-24	Yes, too young	No, not too young	No opinion
	%	%	%
*National adults*	13	84	2

*Registered voters ^*	13	85	2

*Likely voters †*	14	85	2

How enthusiastic would you say you are about voting for president in next year's election -- extremely enthusiastic, very enthusiastic, somewhat enthusiastic, not too enthusiastic, or not at all enthusiastic?

	Extremely	Very	Some- what	Not too	Not at all	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
*Registered voters*
2008 Jan 10-13	32	29	26	9	4	*
2007 Apr 13-15	28	28	26	9	7	2
2004 Oct 14-16	36	34	17	8	4	1
2004 Sep 3-5	32	32	23	9	4	*
2004 Aug 23-25	34	30	22	6	7	1
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1	34	31	25	6	4	*
2004 Jul 19-21	28	33	21	13	4	1
2003 Oct 24-26	19	34	31	11	4	1

*National adults*
2008 Jan 10-13	29	29	25	9	8	1
2007 Apr 13-15	26	27	27	10	8	2
2004 Oct 14-16	35	34	17	8	5	1
2004 Sep 3-5	29	31	24	9	7	*
2004 Aug 23-25	30	29	23	7	10	1
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1	33	29	24	7	7	*
2004 Jul 19-21	25	31	22	13	8	1
2003 Oct 24-26	18	32	32	12	5	1

*Republicans/Republican leaners*
2008 Jan 10-13	24	28	31	13	4	1
2007 Apr 13-15	24	26	28	12	9	1
2004 Oct 14-16	35	42	15	6	2	*
2004 Sep 3-5	31	39	21	6	3	*
2004 Aug 23-25	33	27	24	7	9	*
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1	35	28	25	7	5	*
2004 Jul 19-21	27	33	24	13	3	*
2003 Oct 24-26	19	39	32	7	2	1

*Democrats/Democratic leaners*
2008 Jan 10-13	35	29	22	5	8	1
2007 Apr 13-15	29	30	26	7	6	2
2004 Oct 14-16	38	27	19	8	7	1
2004 Sep 3-5	31	26	23	10	10	*
2004 Aug 23-25	31	32	25	8	3	1
2004 Jul 30-Aug 1	33	32	22	8	5	*
2004 Jul 19-21	26	31	21	13	7	2
2003 Oct 24-26	19	29	31	16	5	*
* Less than 0.5%

Thinking now about all the people who have run for president during your lifetime, do you consider -- [ROTATE: Hillary Clinton/John McCain/Barack Obama] [ROTATE 1-5/5-1: 1) the best presidential candidate in your lifetime, 2) better than most candidates, (or) 3) not much different from other candidates, 4) worse than most candidates, (or) 5) the worst presidential candidate in your lifetime]?

A. Hillary Clinton

	Best in lifetime	Better than most	Not much different	Worse than most	Worst in lifetime	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 8-10	5	28	28	18	18	3

B. John McCain

	Best in lifetime	Better than most	Not much different	Worse than most	Worst in lifetime	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 8-10	1	26	53	12	3	5

C. Barack Obama

	Best in lifetime	Better than most	Not much different	Worse than most	Worst in lifetime	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Feb 8-10	7	36	32	12	8	6

(Asked of a half sample) Do you think each of the following candidates would do more to unite or more to divide the country as president? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

*2008 Feb 8-10*	More to unite	More to divide	No opinion
	%	%	%
Barack Obama	66	30	4
John McCain	59	36	5
Hillary Clinton	40	57	3
Mike Huckabee	38	47	14

(Asked of a half sample) If -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- were elected president, do you think he/she would or would not transform the way the government in Washington works?

*2008 Feb 8-10*	Yes, would transform government	No, would not	No opinion
	%	%	%
Barack Obama	55	39	5
Hillary Clinton	51	46	3
John McCain	33	62	4

(Asked of Republicans and independents who lean to the Republican Party) Would you be satisfied if John McCain ended up the winner in the Republican race, or would you have preferred to see one of the other Republican presidential candidates win?

	Satisfied with McCain	Would have preferred another Republican	Don't like any of the candidates (vol.)	No opinion
2008 Feb 8-10	51%	45	*	3
* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) = Volunteered response

(Asked of Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party) Suppose Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for president. If he were to choose Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential running mate, which of the following would best describe your reaction -- [ROTATED: excited, pleased, neutral, disappointed, (or) angry]?

	Excited	Pleased	Neutral	Dis- appointed	Angry	No opinion
2008 Feb 8-10	24%	31	25	15	4	1

As you may know, a common theme in this year's presidential election has been a desire for change in this country. What type of change would you, personally, most like to see the next president bring about? (OPEN-ENDED)

	2008 Jan 10-13
	%
End the war in Iraq/Bring troops home	26
Healthcare reform	19
Fix the economy/Create more jobs	18
Secure the country's borders/Address illegal immigration issue	10
Change tax laws	7
Change U.S. foreign policy/Improve the U.S. role in the world	6
Better honesty/ethics in government	6
More domestic spending, less international spending	6
Balance the budget/Better fiscal discipline	5
Improve the schools	5
Lower gas prices/Less dependence on foreign oil	4
Change in leadership from Bush/New direction	4
Increased morality/religion/spirituality/values	3
Fix the Social Security system	2
More help for the poor/Address poverty issue	2
World peace	2
Address environmental problems/global warming	2
Less government intrusion/interference in personal lives	1
More help for the middle class	1
Overturn Roe v. Wade/End abortions/Fewer abortions	1
Less corporate influence	1
More/Better care for the elderly	1

Other	5
Nothing/No change (vol.)	2
Change everything (vol.)	1
No opinion	6
(vol.) = Volunteered response
NOTE: Percentages add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

(Asked of Democrats and independents who lean to the Democratic Party) Just your best guess, how committed do you think -- [ITEMS ROTATED] -- is to bringing about real change in Washington -- very committed, somewhat committed, not too committed, or not committed at all?

2008 Jan 10-13 (sorted by "very committed")	Very committed	Somewhat committed	Not too committed	Not committed at all	No opinion
Barack Obama	56%	32	4	4	4
Hillary Clinton	54%	35	6	4	1

Next we have some questions about the 2008 presidential campaign. Please try to answer each question based on what you may have heard or read so far about the campaign and the candidates. [RANDOM ORDER]

A. Does it make a real difference to you who is elected president, or not?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Jan 10-13	87	12	1
2007 Dec 14-16	90	10	*
2000 Mar 10-12	60	35	5
2000 Jan 7-10	54	37	9
1996 May 9-12	57	40	3
1992 Oct 23-25	76	22	2
1992 Sep 11-15	66	30	4
1992 Apr 20-22	53	43	4
1992 Feb 28-Mar 1	53	42	5
1992 Jan 6-9	60	30	10
* Less than 0.5%

B. Is there any candidate running this year that you think would make a good president, or not?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Jan 10-13	84	11	5
2007 Dec 14-16	83	14	4
2000 Mar 10-12	71	24	5
2000 Jan 7-10	75	16	9
1996 May 9-12	57	39	4
1992 Oct 23-25	68	26	6
1992 Sep 11-15	61	32	7
1992 Apr 20-22	47	44	9
1992 Jan 6-9	40	41	19

C. Does the way this year's presidential campaign is being conducted make you feel as though the election process is working as it should, or not?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Jan 10-13	67	30	3
2007 Dec 14-16	47	49	3
2000 Mar 10-12	53	43	4
2000 Jan 7-10	57	37	6

D. Are the presidential candidates talking about issues you really care about, or not?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Jan 10-13	72	24	4
2000 Oct 13-15 ^	77	20	3
2000 Mar 10-12	60	35	5
2000 Jan 7-10	54	37	9
1996 May 9-12	57	40	3
1992 Oct 23-25	76	22	2
1992 Sep 11-15	66	30	4
1992 Apr 20-22	53	43	4
1992 Feb 28-Mar 1	53	42	5
1992 Jan 6-9	60	30	10
^ Based on registered voters

E. Do you feel that any of the presidential candidates have come up with good ideas for solving the country's problems, or not?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Jan 10-13	58	36	6
1996 May 9-12	44	52	4
1992 Oct 23-25	65	30	5
1992 Sep 11-15	50	44	6
1992 Apr 20-22	35	58	7
1992 Mar 20-22	32	57	11
1992 Jan 6-9	29	61	10

(Asked of a half sample) Generally speaking, would you say that you personally care a good deal which party wins the presidential election in 2008 or that you don't care very much who wins?

	Care good deal	Don't care very much	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Jan 10-13	77	22	1
1991 Jun 13-16	63	33	4
1987 Apr 25-May 10	54	40	6

(Asked of a half sample) Would you like to see the next president generally continue with George W. Bush's policies, or would you rather see the next president change direction from Bush's policies?

	Continue policies	Change direction	No opinion
2008 Jan 10-13	17%	79	4

Trends for Comparison:

Would you like to see the next president generally continue with Bill Clinton's policies, or would you rather see the next president change direction from Clinton's policies?

	Continue policies	Change direction	No opinion
2000 Jan 7-10	50%	45	5
1999 Oct 8-10	50%	47	3

Would you like to see the next president generally continue with Ronald Reagan's policies, or would you rather see the next president change direction from Reagan's policies?

	Continue policies	Change direction	No opinion
1987 Aug 24-Sep 2	36%	57	7

(Asked of a half sample) How important do you think it is for a president to be inspiring -- very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all?

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not too important	Not important at all	No opinion
2008 Jan 10-13	71%	23	3	2	*
* Less than 0.5%

(Asked of a half sample) Which type of candidate would you prefer to see elected president in 2008 -- [ROTATED: a candidate who is inspiring but who has not been tested as a leader, (or) a candidate who is a tested leader but who is not that inspiring]?

	Inspiring, not tested	Tested, not inspiring	No opinion
2008 Jan 10-13	43%	52	5

Regardless of whether you personally support him/her, are you -- [ROTATED: very optimistic, optimistic, pessimistic, (or) very pessimistic] -- that -- [RANDOM ORDER] --would be able to bring about change in Washington if he/she were elected president in November 2008?

2008 Jan 10-13 (sorted by "very optimistic")	Very optimistic	Opti- mistic	Pessi- mistic	Very pessimistic	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%
Hillary Clinton	16	41	24	16	2
Barack Obama	15	46	25	9	5
John McCain	9	50	30	7	4
Mike Huckabee	6	40	35	12	8

Do you, personally, think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- is a tested leader, or not?

2008 Jan 10-13 (sorted by "yes, tested leader")	Yes, tested leader	No, not	No opinion
John McCain	72%	22	6
Hillary Clinton	57%	41	2
Mike Huckabee	34%	53	13
Barack Obama	33%	61	6

Do you, personally, think -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- is inspiring, or not that inspiring?

2008 Jan 10-13 (sorted by "inspiring")	Inspiring	Not that inspiring	No opinion
Barack Obama	69%	29	3
Hillary Clinton	49%	50	1
John McCain	48%	48	4
Mike Huckabee	35%	58	8

(Asked of a half sample) How confident are you that, at the voting facility where you vote, the votes will be accurately cast and counted in next year's election -- very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident?

	Very confident	Somewhat confident	Not too confident	Not at all confident	No opinion
2007 Nov 30-Dec 2	60%	28	7	5	*
2006 Oct 20-22	66%	25	6	2	*
* Less than 0.5%

Do you think that, across the country, -- [ITEMS ROTATED] -- will be a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem across the country in next year's presidential election?

A. People using illegal or fraudulent means to cast votes

	Major problem	Minor problem	Not a problem	No opinion
2007 Nov 30-Dec 2	26%	53	19	2

B. People who are eligible to vote being prevented from voting

	Major problem	Minor problem	Not a problem	No opinion
2007 Nov 30-Dec 2	19%	37	42	2

If you had to choose, which do you think will be the bigger problem in next year's election -- [ROTATED: people using illegal or fraudulent means to cast votes, (or) people who are eligible to vote being prevented from voting]?

	Using fraudulent means to cast votes	Eligible voters being prevented from voting	No opinion
2007 Nov 30-Dec 3	61%	35	4

Please tell me whether you agree or disagree that -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- has the personality and leadership qualities a president should have.

2007 Nov 2-4 (sorted by "agree, has qualities")	Agree, has qualities	Disagrees, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
Hillary Clinton	60	36	3
Rudy Giuliani	59	34	7
Barack Obama	56	35	9
John Edwards	51	36	13
Mitt Romney	32	45	23
Fred Thompson	27	48	26

Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- on the issues that matter most to you.

2007 Nov 2-4 (sorted by "agree with")	Agree	Disagree	No opinion
	%	%	%
Hillary Clinton	51	44	5
Rudy Giuliani	50	39	11
Barack Obama	48	38	13
John Edwards	45	39	16
Fred Thompson	27	46	28
Mitt Romney	26	49	26

Looking ahead to next year's presidential election, what will be the most important issues that you will take into account when deciding whom to vote for? (OPEN-ENDED)

	2007 Apr 13-15
	RVs	NAs
	%	%
War issues in Iraq	43	42
The economy	15	13
Healthcare/Health insurance	10	11
Homeland security/Military defense	7	7
Education	6	5
Illegal immigration	5	5
Honesty/Integrity/Credibility of candidate	5	5
International/Foreign affairs	4	4
Taxes	3	4
Domestic issues/Taking care of homeland first	3	3
Terrorism	3	2
Environmental issues	2	3
Financial/Money	2	2
Abortion	2	2
Budget deficit/Spending	2	2
Social Security reform	2	2
Senior care/Medicare/Prescription drugs	2	2
Vote Democrat/Not a Republican	1	1
Employment issues	1	1
World peace	1	1
Christian values/beliefs	1	1
Bush (doing a bad job)	1	1
Judicial issues	*	*
Vote Republican/Not a Democrat	*	*
Bush (doing a good job)	--	--

Other	9	9
None	2	3
No opinion	6	6
Total	138%	137%

* Less than 0.5%
NAs = National adults
RVs = Registered voters
NOTE: Totals add to more than 100% due to multiple responses.

Election 2008 Topics and Trends

Obama Job Approval

Life Evaluation

Mood

Health

Economic Confidence

Job Creation

Consumer Spending

Learn More

Widget

Gallup Daily: Early Voting

Gallup Daily: Likely Voters (Expanded)

Gallup Daily: Likely Voters (Traditional)

Gallup Daily: Election 2008

Americans See Obama Election as Race Relations Milestone

Majority of Americans "Proud" Obama Elected President

Obama’s Winning Coalition

Blacks, Postgrads, Young Adults Help Obama Prevail

Obama’s Road to the White House: A Gallup Review

Final Presidential Estimate: Obama 55%, McCain 44%